Traverse City, MI - July 21, 2010 - Horse Shows by the Bay kicked off their second week of competition today. Although there was plenty of jumping action to see, there was also a lot of charity fundraising being done outside the arena. Last night, the horse show hosted a kickball tournament and cookout to benefit the USHJA Horsemen's Assistance Fund. Carrie Gunst of Personalized Products has been organizing the event since its start.
"When we were still at the old facility, a bunch of people started playing kickball and soccer for fun so I came up with the idea to play for a charity and sell t-shirts. We sell t-shirts for $20 apiece and we have a cook out and it is just for fun but we raise money for the USHJA Horsemen's Assistance Fund," said Gunst.
The USHJA Horsemen's Assistance Fund helps equestrians in need. Usually they help people financially and they help in all ways, shapes, and forms.
"It is a good charity because we all are family here and sometimes people run into hard luck and need some help. It can be anything from someone's house burns down to someone having an accident and don't have enough health insurance. They are there to help out," explained Gunst.
The kickball game last night was a success. Over 150 people played and they raised over $3,000 for the charity. Custom Fox, Ann Hubbard Tack, Personalized Products, and Horse Shows by the Bay supplied food and drinks.
Another charity fundraising effort going on at Horse Shows by the Bay is a used clothing sale to benefit the Equestrian Aid Foundation, which benefits riders in need. Junior rider, Caitlin Ziegler, organizes the clothing drive.
"If you think about it, everyone is the same size. Everyone starts off in the ponies and goes through the juniors so everybody can use some of the stuff we're selling," said Ziegler.
Ziegler became involved with the charity because her family knows the head of the Equestrian Aid Foundation, R. Scot Evans. They talked about ways to get junior riders involved in the charity and decided a clothing drive was the best way to go. Ziegler's barn also hosts a carnival at the Winter Equestrian Festival every year and the proceeds go to the Equestrian Aid Foundation as well.
On Juy 17th, Horse Shows by the Bay hosted Kid's Day, sponsored by Molon Excavating, Inc. Hundreds of kids came out for pony rides, blue ribbon jumping, and canine agility demonstrations. Michigan's 4-H fundraiser was a huge success.
Next week, on July 31st, Horse Shows by the Bay will be hosting the Meijer Benefit for CANTER-MI. A party and silent auction will take place from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., during the HJAM Equitation Medal Finals and the $30,000 D-Braider Cherry Capital Classic Grand Prix. All proceeds will go to benefit CANTER, which is the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses.
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